How to Create a UX Portfolio
How This Course Will Help Your Career
What You’ll Learn
What you should include in your UX portfolio to land your dream job
How to create your UX portfolio from scratch—even if you don’t have any prior experience in UX design
Which UX tools you need to create your portfolio, and how to use them
How to craft compelling UX case studies that tell a story and motivate recruiters to invite you for job interviews
The difference between an online and a PDF UX portfolio, as well as how to create both types
How to craft a stand-out resume and cover letter tailored towards UX jobs
How to make full use of your UX portfolio to land a job in UX design and progress in your UX career
Did you know the average UX recruiter spends less than 5 minutes skimming through your UX portfolio? If you want to join the growing and well-paid field of UX design, not only do you need a UX portfolio—you’ll need a great UX portfolio that showcases relevant skills and knowledge. Your UX portfolio will help you get your first job interviews and freelance clients, and it will also force you to stay relevant in your UX career. In other words, no matter what point you’re at in your UX career, you’re going to need a UX portfolio that’s in tip-top condition.
So, how do you build an enticing UX portfolio, especially if you’ve got no prior experience in UX design? Well, that’s exactly what you’ll learn in this course! You’ll cover everything so you can start from zero and end up with an incredible UX portfolio. For example, you’ll walk through the various UX job roles, since you can’t begin to create your portfolio without first understanding which job role you want to apply for! You’ll also learn how to create your first case studies for your portfolio even if you have no prior UX design work experience. You’ll even learn how to navigate non-disclosure agreements and create visuals for your UX case studies.
By the end of this practical, how to oriented course, you’ll have the skills needed to create your personal online UX portfolio site and PDF UX portfolio. You’ll receive tips and insights from recruiters and global UX design leads from SAP, Oracle and Google to give you an edge over your fellow candidates. You’ll learn how to craft your UX case studies so they’re compelling and relevant, and you’ll also learn how to engage recruiters through the use of Freytag’s dramatic structure and 8 killer tips to write effectively. What’s more, you’ll get to download and keep more than 10 useful templates and samples that will guide you closely as you craft your UX portfolio. To sum it up, if you want to create a UX portfolio and land your first job in the industry, this is the course for you!
Gain an Industry-Recognized UX Course Certificate
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Is This Course Right for You?
This is a beginner-level course suitable for anyone who wants to embark on a career in UX design:
- UX designers, product designers, visual designers, UX researchers, content strategists and UI designers looking to build effective UX portfolios and land their next job in UX design
- Anyone aspiring to transition into a career in the field of UX design
- Students keen to build their first UX portfolio
- Junior to mid-level UX designers who want to progress faster in their career by enhancing their portfolio
Learn and Work with a Global Community of Designers
You’ll join a global community and work together to improve your skills and career opportunities. Connect with helpful peers and make friends with like-minded individuals as you push deeper into the exciting and booming industry of design.
Lessons in This Course
- Each week, one lesson becomes available.
- There’s no time limit to finish a course. Lessons have no deadlines.
- Estimated learning time: 12 hours 51 mins spread over 4 weeks .
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
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0.1: Welcome and Introduction—How to Create a UX Portfolio (7 mins)
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0.2: An introduction to courses from the Interaction Design Foundation (37 mins)
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0.3: Let our community help you (1 min)
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0.4: How to Earn Your Course Certificate (16 mins)
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0.5: Expand your network and grow your skills in our online forums (5 mins)
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0.6: Meet and learn from design professionals in your area (1 min)
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0.7: Gain Timeless Knowledge Through Courses From the Interaction Design Foundation (21 mins)
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0.8: Mandatory vs. Optional Lesson Items (7 mins)
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0.9: A Mix Between Video-Based and Text-Based Lesson Content (6 mins)
Lesson 1: What is a UX design portfolio
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1.1: Welcome and Introduction (7 mins)
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1.2: What is a UX Portfolio? (24 mins)
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1.3: 3 Reasons Why You Should Have a UX Design Portfolio (15 mins)
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1.4: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding UX Roles and Which One You Should Go For (43 mins)
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1.5: How to Create Case Studies for Your UX Design Portfolio When You Have No Past Projects and Experience (28 mins)
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1.6: UX Tools Matter Less Than You Think (23 mins)
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1.7: What UX Tools Do I Need to Create My Portfolio, and How Do I Learn Them? (34 mins)
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1.8: Discussion Forum (6 mins)
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1.9: Congratulations and Recap (7 mins)
Lesson 2: How to create the perfect UX case studies through storytelling
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2.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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2.2: How to Write Great Case Studies for Your UX Design Portfolio (22 mins)
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2.3: 8 Writing Tips to Supercharge the Quality of Your UX Work (42 mins)
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2.4: How to Create Effective UX Case Studies with Aristotle’s 7 Elements of Storytelling (28 mins)
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2.5: How to Create Engaging UX Case Studies with Freytag’s 5-Part Dramatic Structure (17 mins)
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2.6: How to Write the Perfect Introduction to Your UX Case Study (30 mins)
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2.7: How to Write the Perfect Middle Part of Your UX Case Study (27 mins)
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2.8: How to Write the Perfect Conclusion to Your UX Case Study (22 mins)
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2.9: How to Handle Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) When You Write Your UX Case Study (22 mins)
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2.10: How to Create Visuals for Your UX Case Study (54 mins)
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2.11: How Our Courses Can Help You Create Great UX Case Studies for Your Portfolio (23 mins)
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2.12: Discussion Forum (6 mins)
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2.13: Congratulations and Recap (8 mins)
Lesson 3: How to create your UX design portfolio
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3.1: Welcome and Introduction (7 mins)
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3.2: What Should a UX Design Portfolio Contain? (21 mins)
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3.3: 4 Good and 1 Bad UX Design Portfolio You Can Learn From (28 mins)
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3.4: Should You Create an Online or PDF UX Design Portfolio? (24 mins)
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3.5: How to Create an Online UX Design Portfolio (42 mins)
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3.6: How to Create a PDF UX Design Portfolio (22 mins)
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3.7: How to Create the Perfect UX Resume and Cover Letter (24 mins)
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3.8: How to Make Full Use of Your UX Design Portfolio (15 mins)
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3.9: Discussion Forum (6 mins)
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3.10: Congratulations and Recap (8 mins)
Lesson 4: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
How Others Have Benefited
Alecia Mitchell, United States
“This course is perfect and instrumental for me to start my UX portfolio. I’m so happy you are offering this now, since I have already completed the 3 main courses that will help me develop my portfolio, now I can focus on them again and make my case studies with a definitive guideline.”
Nicena Fontaine, Canada
“I can’t say enough how grateful I am for this portfolio class. Before this class, I spent a lot of time trying to backwards engineer the writing styles and structure from portfolios that I found, which were by students and experts. Now I have a reference point for how to present and write my portfolio content, and a greater understanding of why’s behind portfolio design decisions. Thank you! I’m excited that I can take this information and move forward with working on portfolio projects, knowing that I have the tools to present these projects in their best light.”
Sylvia Ho, United States
“This is a useful course for me. I used to follow the STAR framework to write up my case studies. Now I think the structure this course introduced is better! The course’s structure is excellent. Very well-organized and every step is explained well.”
How It Works
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Control your learning.
Lessons are self-paced so you’ll never be late for class or miss a deadline. Learning and life, hand in hand.
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Earn Course Certificates.
Your answers are graded by experts, not machines. Get an industry-recognized Course Certificate to show you’ve put in the work.
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Advance your career.
Grow your professional knowledge by watching Master Classes, networking within our UX community, and more.
Start Advancing Your Career Now
Join us to take “How to Create a UX Portfolio”. Take other courses at no additional cost. Make a concrete step forward in your career path today.
Advance my career nowFrequently Asked Questions
When I finish a course, do I have to pay extra to get my certificate?
Can I take more than one course at a time?
With a Student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. You can still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses.
I missed the enrollment, and now the course is closed. What can I do?
Don't worry if you missed the course. We will re-run it shortly. One of the reasons we continually open and close courses is in order to control the classroom size.
Networking is a large part of our value proposition, so we want just the right number of people inside the courses. That is also why we display the "XX % percent booked" on our course icons.
Do I have to be online at an exact time to study?
No. You can set your own study schedule. There are no "live sessions" since we have members from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community.
Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time to complete a given course. Every "classroom" in each course will never close, so you’ll have permanent access to your classmates and your course material (as well as your own answers).
Will I receive a Course Certificate?
Yes. You will get a digital industry-recognized course certificate every time you complete a course. Certificates never expire and can be saved as a .jpg file, so it's easy to be shared. Also, there is no limit to how many certificates you can earn during your membership.
You can see an example of a Course Certificate at the bottom of the Course Catalogue.
I have answered questions in a lesson; when will they be marked/graded?
I have updated my name, but my course certificate is not updated — how can I change it?
Don't worry; once you change your name, your certificate will be updated automatically in the next 48 hours.
I have started my course later than the specified date, are my answers still going to be marked?
Sure! We will be marking all your answers for as long as you are an active member.
How are courses graded?
For how long will I have access to the course materials?
You will have access to the course materials for the entire duration of your membership. So, if you pay for a one-year membership, you will have access for one year. Renewing your membership for a second year means you will have access to one more year, and so on.
New lessons are starting before I have completed the previous lesson(s). Am I going to be locked out of these unfinished lessons?
No, you will not be locked out of any lesson or course. You will have access to all course materials throughout your membership, so there is no pressure to keep at the same pace as the specified lesson release dates.
All we recommend is that you try to stick to the same schedule as other participants. The reason is they may have moved on to other lessons, thereby meaning you could miss out on the social aspects of the course(s).
Do I have a specific date to award my certificates?
No, you can generate your certificate as soon as you score at least 70% of the total course points.
When will I receive my Course Certificate?
Course certificates will be given to participants when they have scored more than 70% or more of the total course points. For example, if a course contains ten lessons each with ten questions, you will receive a course certificate when the instructor has awarded you at least 70 points (70% of the total course points).
There is no specified time that certificates will be awarded — instead, they are given to participants as and when they have answered all questions, even if this is long after the official end date.
How do I add my Certificate to my LinkedIn profile?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Below your profile description, click on the button Add profile section, choose Recommended and then select Add license or certification.
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3. In the following fields add:
Name – Course name
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date written on your certificate (e.g., May 2021)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number – it's written on your certificate. (For non-members, you can leave this field blank or, if you prefer, insert the certificate ID, which can be extracted from the certificate link. This ID will begin with "mcc_" and be followed by a string of numbers and letters.")
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your course page
4. Click the Save button.
Congratulate yourself! Earning the certificate is a great accomplishment and now you can share it with the world!
How do I add the Interaction Design Foundation Membership Certificate to my LinkedIn Profile?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Below your profile description, click on the button Add profile section, choose Recommended and then select Add license or certification.
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3. In the following fields add:
Name – Membership Certificate
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date when you joined our community (e.g., May 2019)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your profile page
4. Click the Save button.
It is as simple as that. Now, anyone who visits your profile can see your certificate!
How much will I have to pay for the courses?
After you pay for your membership, you can take as many courses as you want with no additional costs. There are no further charges on top of the membership fee.
Do you provide mostly beginners' or more advanced courses?
How long does it take to complete a course?
You will need approximately 5-8 hours to complete one lesson. Each course has between 3 and 16 lessons.
Once enrolled in a course, you will gain access to a new lesson each week, which you are free to complete without any deadlines and no end date, either.
I scored less than 70% in a course, so I didn't qualify for a certificate. Can I try again?
Yes! Everyone's learning journey looks different, and we'd never stop our members from trying again. To retake a course, just follow these steps:
1. Go to your profile and click on the relevant course you'd like to retake.
2. Underneath your progress bar, you'll see a phrase "UX Courses" with an arrow (>) pointing to a clickable landing page of that course. Click on that link.
3. Once on the landing page, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. You'll see a red button, which you can simply click to drop the course.
4. Head back to our main list of UX Courses, and re-enroll yourself in the course. You'll all set to try again!
Please note that when you drop a course, you will lose any answers and progress you submitted. We advise that you screenshot or save any answers you'd like to reuse.
In some cases, we can open up lessons for members who are retaking a course, so that they don't have to wait for familiar lessons to unlock each week. If you'd like us to do this for you, please get in touch with our support team at hello@interaction-design.org, and we can help you out.
How do I drop a course?
To drop a course, the following should be done:
1. Visit your profile page and click the 'continue lesson...' button for the course you want to drop.
2. Click the course name link breadcrumb near the top of the page that opens (this only appears in unlocked lessons, not upcoming lessons)
3. Click the red 'drop my course now' button at the bottom of the page that opens
